India's great sugar boondoggle is a waste of taxpayers' money

Ending costly subsidies will be better for growers, processors and consumers

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20220127 India sugar cane.jpg

Indian farmers harvest sugar cane in Rajasthan in November 2021: the price of the cane continued to be fixed by politicians fixated on crude electoral math. © Sipa/AP

Prerna Sharma Singh is an award-winning analyst specializing in policy and regulation with special reference to the agriculture and food sectors. She is a director on the board of Indonomics Consulting Private Limited.

In December, the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement panel upheld a complaint brought by Australia, Brazil and Guatemala that Indian subsidies for its sugar growers were in breach of international trade rules.

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